Mast antenna actuator



Se t. 14, 1943. A. T. MACE 2,329,404

MAST ANTENNA ACTUATOR Filed Sept. 24, 1940 INVENTOR. ART/1w? T M/rcfPatented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT orricr.

Arthur T. Mace, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The BalladCorporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio 4 Claims.

This invention, as indicated, relates generally to antennas of the masttype now in popular use in conjunction with vehicles and has referencemore particularly to a combination of such an antenna and means foractuating the same.

Antennas of this type usually comprise nested telescoping tubes usuallyprovided with a rod projecting from the uppermost tube. Antennas of thistype have heretofore been provided with elongate flexible means, such asa cable, projecting upwardly therein with the upper end of such cableconnected to the lower end of the rod or uppermost telescopic element ofthe antenna, a reel being provided for receiving and dispensing thecable in response to manual forces applied to a crank or the like. It isdesirable to locate the reel interiorly of the vehicle and in manyinstances some power means of actuating the same is to be preferred. Anelectric motor or other source of power has heretofore been used toextend or retract the antenna. Such mechanisms have been liable to jamwhen the antenna was fully extended or telescoped.

The primary object of this invention has been toprovide power drivenclutch means for actuating an antenna of the type described. Anotherobject of this invention has been to provide a clutch as aboveidentified which automatically renders itself ineffective whencounteracting forces above the safe limit of the antenna. A stillfurther object of this invention has been to provide a reel of the typeabove identified which is mechanically simple.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims; the annexed drawing and the followingdescription setting forth in detail certain stru'cture embodying theinvention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one ofvarious structural forms in which the principle of the invention may beused.

In said annexed drawing- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of adevice having incorporated the principal features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partially fragmentary and partially sectional end viewthereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section indicated by the lines 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 4 but showing theelements in another position;

Fig. 6 is a section indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 'l is a partially fragmentary and partially sectional view of anantenna having incorporated therein the principal features of theinvention.

With reference more particularly to Fig. 1 there will be seen mountedupon a base III, a suitable source of power, such as an electric motorll, interconnected by means of a clutch I! to a reel M which actuates acable [5, the latter extending upwardly into the antenna H. The baseIll, as shown, is purely illustrative and is intended to represent anysuitable specially prepared base or any suitable portion of a vehicle.

With reference more particularly to Fig. '7, the antenna proper and thecable projecting therein will now be described. It will be understoodthat this invention is not limited or restricted to the particular typeof antenna shown and that such type is solely by way of illustration andnot by way of limitation. The telescoping elements of the instantantenna comprises a relatively short base or bottom tube E8 the lowerend of which, as will hereinafter appear, is suitably connected to thereel. Fixed with respect to this tube and projecting downwardly thereinis an upper tube 20, both-ends of which are open and the upper end ofwhich is provided with a restriction neck 2| so as to present aninterior shoulder or abutment 22 adjacent the upper end thereof. Snuglyprojectingthrough the neck M is a wire or rod 23 the lower end of whichis provided with an enlargement 24 adapted for engaging the abutment 22thereby limiting up ward movement of therod. A ball 21 surmounts the rodand engages the tip of the neck thereby limiting downward movement ofthe rod. A suitable clip 29 may be provided for lead-in purposes. Thecable l5 projects upwardly into both of the tubes and the upper end 30thereof is suitably secured to the rod 23 as by welding or solderingsuch end to the rod. Thus it will be seen that actuation of the cablemoves the rod. upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, therebycausing the antenna elements to become extended or telescoped.

The upper portion of the outer tube I8 may be rigidly insulatinglysupported by the vehicle body and the lower end thereof as willpresently appear is supported by the reel, which is enclosed by asuitable metallic housing 3| provided with a cover 32. The housing issuitably secured as by spot welding to a cup-like. element 33 which inturn is suitably secured as by bolts to the base it. The housing isprovided with an upwardly directed tubular projection 35 into which andbeyond either end of which projects an insulating sleeve 35.Interconnecting the projection 35 and the sleeve 35 with the antenna isan insulating tube 31 which is provided with suitable steps forinterconnecting such elements. Thus the antenna is insulated from thehousing and the base. Freely projecting through an opening in the baseand in the cup-like element 33 and suitabLv journaled in the housing andin the 'cover is a shaft :9 which is restrained against axial movementby suitable means such as 'washers and pins 4|. Suitably non-rotatablycarried by the shaft is a cup-like element 42, the inner diameter of theaxial portion of which is greater than the outer diameter of the axialportion of an inner cup-like element 43 which also is non rotatablycarried by the shaft. As is seen in Fig. 3 the left end of the axiallyextending cylindrical space thus provided between these cuplike elementsis closed by a suitable cover plate 45 which is rotatably carried by theshaft and which is provided with a. tangentially extending opening Iifor accommodating the lower end of the sleeve 35. The lower end of thecable is threaded through the sleeve 36, the opening 45, the axial spacebetween the cup-like elements 52 and "through an opening 41 in thecup-like element 4! and then through an opening 48 in the cup-likeelement 43 to the interior thereof. Suitable means may be employed forsecuring the lower end of the cable to the interior of the cup-likeelement 43; however the bends of the cable in passing through theopenings 41 and 48 provide adequate anchorage. The cup-like elements 2and I3 and the cover plate 45 are preferably made of electricalinsulating material, such as a plastic, and if made of metal, then suchelements should be suitably insulated from the vehicle. It will beunderstood that the cup-like elements 12 and 53 may be made integralinstead of separate. Thus it will be seen that rotation of the shaft 89causes the cable to coil.

or uncoil and consequently actuates the rod 23 with respect to the innertubes 18 and 2B.

As is above indicated, power driven clutch ;means are provided forrotating the shaft and such means, as is seen in Figs. 4, 5 and 6,comprise a driven and a driving member, preferably in the nature ofinter-flttingcups, the driven cup 50 which is suitably keyed to thesh'aft 39 as by a pin 5! and the driving cup 53 which is suitablyconnected to the motor shaft 54. For connecting the driving cup and themotor shaft, the latter is provided with a non-circular portion whichprojects through an opening in the former, such portion being peenedover as at 55. The axial Portion of' each of the cups is provided with aplurality of circumferentially spaced openings,-

prei'erablyin the form of axial slots, which extend from the rim towardsthe base of the cups. The

slots 01' one cup are equal in number and spacing to the slots of theother cup so that the openings of one cup will register with theopenings of the other cup. As is better seen in Figs. 4 and 5, theopenings of one of the cups, preferably the inner cup,'are somewhatgreater in a circumferential direction than are the openings of theother cup. Suitable elements, such as balls 59, are accommodated by thelarger openings and project partially into the smaller opcn ings, thelatter being such that the balls cannot pass therethrough and preferablyproject but slightly therein. Resilient means for urging the ballstowards thesmaller openings is provided and by way of illustration is asingle coil of spring ribbon 6|, the ends. of which overlap'as at 52. Itis to be noted that the axial portions of the cup are preferably not incontact with each other and provide a space 54.

The motor is controlled by a pair of manually operated switches, notshown located preferably on the instrument panel of the vehicle. Nowassuming the antenna extending switch of such switches is actuated,thetorque imparted to the driving cup 53 by the motor will betransmitted to the driven cup 50 by means o'f the'spring loaded ballsand the reel cops 42 and '43 will uncoil the cable i5 and force it intoantenna, thereby pushing the rod- 23 upwardly 'until such switch isreleased or until the enlargement engages the shoulder 22. If suchengagement takes place,

then the driven cup 58 can no longer rotate and the axial edges of theopenings thereof urgeor cam the balls 59 against the urg'eof the spring5| completely out of such openings so'that the elements of the clutcheventually assume the relationship seen in Fig. 5. When this relationexists the driving cup may spin and verylittle or no torque isthereafter transmitted to the driven cup. By properly selecting the sizeof the balls, the size of the openings, and the resiliency of thesprings, the elements may assume the disengaged or ineffective torquetransmitting relationship seen in Fig. 5 without offensive jerks or jarsbeing created due to tendency of the balls to re-establish a drivebetween the two cups. If the other of said switches be actuated, suchother switch causing the antenna to contract, then just the reverseaction from the action just described will take place. It will beunderstood that if desired, suitable reduction gearing may be insertedbetween the motor and the reel without scope of this invention.

Ten openings 51 in each of the cups 5' and 53 are shown in Fig. 4, butit will be understood that any number of openings instead of ten may beemployed and that by inserting a proper number of balls 59, the maximumtorque transmitted may be controlled as desired.

Other modes of applying the principle of my vention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structureherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following.claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. The combination of extensible and retractable antenna elements, acable for actuating said elements, power means for actuating said cable,and clutch means interposed between said cable and said power means,said clutch means comprising a driving cup and a driven cup the axialportion of each of which is provided with openings, the openings of oneof said portions being adapted for registration with and being longerthan the openings of the other of said portions, a ball carried by thelarger of said openings adapted for projecting into the other of saidopenings, and resilient means for urging said ball towards said other ofsaid openings.

2. The combination of nested telescopic an tenna elements, a cable fortelescoping said eledeparting from the ments, means for limiting theamount of telescoping said elements, power means for actuating saidcable, and clutch means interposed between said cable and said powermeans, said clutch means comprising a pair of cup-like elements eachpresenting an axial portion, each of said portions havingcircumferentialiy spaced slots extending from the rim thereof towardsthe body thereof, said slots being adapted for registration with eachother, a plurality of elements one for each of the slots of one of saidportions and adapted for projecting into the slots of the other of saidportions, said slots of the other of said portions and said elementsbeing such that a cam action is had therebetween whereby said elementsare cammed out of said slots of the other of said portions when saidclutch tends to urge said telescoping elements beyond the amountpermitted by said limiting means.

3. The combination of extensible and retractable antenna elements, acable for actuating said elements, power means for actuating said cableand clutch means interposed between said cable and said power means,said clutch means comprising an outer and an inner member eachpresenting a plurality of openings, said openings adapted forregistration with each other, and an element carried by each of theopenings in said inner member, common means for urging each of saidelements toward the openings in the outer member, said elements beingadapted to be cammed out of said outer openings when the forcedlflerential between said members exceeds a predetermined amount.

4. The combination of extensible and retractable antenna elements, acable for actuating said elements, power means for actuating said cable,and clutch means interposed between said cable and said power means,said clutch means comprising a pair of cup-shaped elements one of whichis provided with recessed portions and the other of which is providedwith projections resiliently urged towards said recesses and adapted forentering said recesses for establishing a drive between said pair ofelements, said recesses and said projections being such that saidprojections are cammed outof said recesses when the force diflerentialbetween said pair of elements exceeds a predetermined amount.

ARTHUR T. MACE.

